Systems and methods for information exchange and synchronization using DTMF over telephone communication channels

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, protocols and apparatus for information exchange and synchronization using DTMF signaling over telephone communication channels are provided. Information is packetized and converted from one format, e.g., ASCII formatted data, to another format, e.g., BCD formatted data. The information is wrapped in one or more packets by a sending apparatus, each packet including one or more headers, such as a Name and Length field that identify the information being exchanged and the amount of data included in the packet payload/value field. The data in the packets are converted from BCD to DTMF signals and are transmitted over a telephone communication line to a receiving apparatus. The receiving apparatus converts the DTMF signals back to BCD formatted data and processes the packets to obtain the information contained therein.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 10/033,372, filed Oct. 17, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.6,771,751 entitled “Systems and Methods for Information Exchange andSynchronization Using DTMF Over Telephone Communication Channels,” whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/241,270, filed Oct. 17, 2000, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to information exchange, andmore particularly to information exchange using DTMF signaling overtelephone communication channels.

In real life, people exchange numbers and information all the time.Typically such information exchange is performed verbally or using paperdocuments. With the advent of computer systems and digital datacommunications technology, such information is now commonly exchangedover various computer networks such as the Internet using variousprotocols and communication applications. E-mail is perhaps the mostprevalent form of information exchange today.

Using telephone communications technology, people exchange informationusing sending apparatus and receiving apparatus, however, such exchangeis usually limited to verbal information exchange. As one example, oneindividual may provide a phone number or address information to a secondindividual using a telephone. The second individual must write down theinformation, which may not be convenient, or commit it to memory forwriting down at a later time. For example, the second user may be usinga cell phone and not have the ability to immediately write theinformation down. In the case of a programmable cell phone, the seconduser may immediately manually program a phone number into the cellphone, however this tends to disrupt the conversation with the firstuser.

Additionally, other information such as address information is notgenerally the type of information for which a cell phone is designed toconveniently store.

The number system is widely used throughout the world in telephonesystems because of its simplicity and the deployed apparatus are easy touse. Dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) signaling is a signaling schemeused in telephone systems to transmit the characters 0–9, and the * and# characters found on standard telephone keypads, and is primarily usedto “dial” telephone numbers, i.e., direct calls to an appropriatereceiving apparatus. DTMF is a technique that converts numbers (andselect characters) to a particular frequency set, which can be convertedback to the particular number. Yet, numbers are not electronicallyexchanged through the voice band even though sending and receivingapparatus are capable of receiving numbers using DTMF signaling inparallel to voice band while a voice conversation session is active.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems, methods and protocolsfor exchanging information between sending and receiving apparatus usingDTMF signaling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems and methods for exchangingnumbers and characters between sending apparatus and receiving apparatususing generic protocols that can be expanded to various applications.

Systems, methods, protocols and apparatus for information exchange andsynchronization using DTMF signaling over telephone communicationchannels are provided. Information is packetized and converted from oneformat, e.g., ASCII formatted data, to another format, e.g., BCDformatted data. The information is wrapped in one or more packets, eachpacket including one or more headers, such as a Name and Length fieldthat identify the information being exchanged and the amount of dataincluded in the packet payload/value field. The data in the packets areconverted from BCD to DTMF signals and are transmitted over a telephonecommunication line to a receiving apparatus. The receiving apparatusconverts the DTMF signals back to BCD formatted data and processes thepackets to obtain the information contained therein.

According to one aspect of the present invention a method is providedfor communicating alphanumeric data between two communication devicesover a telephone communication channel, the alphanumeric data includinga plurality of alphanumeric characters. The method typically includesconverting the alphanumeric data to data having a first data format,wherein each converted character comprises a first plurality ofcharacters in the first data format, converting the data having thefirst data format to data having a second data format, wherein eachconverted character comprises a plurality of numbers in the second dataformat, and communicating the data in the second data format from afirst communication device to a second communication device over thetelephone communication channel using DTMF signaling

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for communicating alphanumeric data between two communicationdevices over a telephone communication channel, the alphanumeric dataincluding a plurality of alphanumeric characters. The method typicallyincludes receiving data representing the alphanumeric data, saidreceived data having a first data format, wherein each alphanumericcharacter is represented by a first plurality of characters in the firstdata format, converting the data having the first data format to BCDdecimal formatted data, wherein each alphanumeric character isrepresented by three numerical characters in the BCD format, andcommunicating the data in the BCD format from the first communicationdevice to a second communication device over the telephone communicationchannel using DTMF signaling.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, acommunication apparatus is provided for sending and receiving data overa telephone communication channel using DTMF signaling. The apparatustypically includes a telephone interface module configured to send andreceive frequency signals over a telephone communication channel, a DTMFcoding and decoding module configured to convert received DTMF signalsto data packets having a first protocol format and to convert datapackets having the first protocol format to DTMF signals, and a packetprocessing module configured to convert data received from a user inputdevice to data packets having the first protocol format and to processdata packets in the first protocol format received from the DTMF module.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a communicationsystem is provided that typically includes a configuration servercoupled to a telephone communication network, and a communication devicehaving a telephone communication interface for coupling to the telephonecommunication network, each of said communication device andconfiguration server including a DTMF coding and decoding moduleconfigured to convert received DTMF signals to data packets having afirst protocol format and to convert data packets having the firstprotocol format to DTMF signals. In operation, the communication deviceautomatically establishes a communication session with the configurationserver when the telephone interface is connected with the telephonecommunication network, wherein the configuration server sends one ormore packets of configuration information having the first protocolformat to the communication device in the form of DTMF signals, andwherein the communication device converts the received DTMF signals tosaid one or more packets of configuration information having the firstprotocol format.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for automatically configuring a communication device having atelephone communication interface for coupling to a telephonecommunication network. The method typically includes automaticallyestablishing a communication session with a configuration server overthe telephone communication network when the telephone communicationinterface is coupled to the telephone communication network, andreceiving one or-more configuration packets from the configurationserver, each configuration packet including configuration information,wherein the received configuration packets are in the form of DTMFsignals. The method also typically includes converting the DTMF signalsto one or more packets having a first protocol format, and processingthe one or more configuration packets having the first protocol formatto obtain the configuration information.

Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including thedrawings claims and Appendices, will realize other features andadvantages of the present invention. Further features and advantages ofthe present invention, as well as the structure and operation of variousembodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below withrespect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like referencenumbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system including a sending apparatus configured tosend information in the number domain to a receive apparatus using DTMFsignaling according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary protocol format for communicating datausing DTMF signaling according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 3–6 illustrate various system configurations for which thecommunication protocols and methods of the present invention are usefulto communicate information from one user to another user;

FIG. 7 illustrates a communication apparatus in a communication networkaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a configuration process flow according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 illustrates various functional. layers of the software andhardware components of a client device and a configuration serveraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems, apparatus, methods and protocolsfor communicating information over standard telephone communicationchannels. There are typically 2 distinct domains that are used forcommunication of information: the number domain, which runs from 0 to 9,and the Alphanumeric character domain, which runs from [a–z] and [A–Z].As used herein in one embodiment, the alphanumeric character domain isintended to also include the number domain [0–9] as well as additionalspecial characters that can be converted to ASCII as defined by theASCII table from the ANSI committee. In this embodiment, if the ASCIItable is used, all characters and numbers convert to the number domain.Appendix A includes characters and numbers and associated convertedvalues in ASCII 8-bit binary (truncate the first digit for 7-bitbinary), hexadecimal, octal and BCD decimal representations. Othercharacter domains also exist and are represented by various Unicodeconversion standards. Examples of Unicode conversion standards includeconversions for kanji and arabic character sets, and any other variousglyphs, symbols, characters and alphabets in existence. Informationabout various Unicode standards can be found at www.unicode.org.Appendix B includes an example of a Unicode conversion table.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 45 including a sending apparatus 501configured to send information in the number domain to a receiveapparatus 502 using DTMF signaling according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. Each of the send and receive apparatus 50 may includea conventional telephone, a cell phone, answering machine, PDA, Laptopor desktop computer system, or any other device configured to send andreceive DTMF signals. As shown, each device 50 includes a DTMT CODEC 55that processes DTMF signals as is well known. Communication channel 60typically includes a standard PSTN telephone channel, however, wirelesschannels and VoIP channels may be included. For example, where one ofthe devices 50 is a cell phone, a wireless connection to a cell phonebase tower is included in the communication channel. Preferably, each ofthe send and receive apparatus 50 includes intelligent processingcapability. As shown, for example, each apparatus 50 includes aprocessor 65 that provides overall processing and configuration controlof the information packets according to the protocols and methods of thepresent invention. A memory 70 is provided for storing data as well asconversion parameters and look-up tables in some embodiments.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to such protocols usefulfor transferring information over communication channels between asending apparatus and a receiving apparatus. Preferably telephoniccommunication channels are used to communicate the information, e.g.,from a cell phone or conventional phone to another cell phone orconventional phone, in parallel to the voice band while a voiceconversation session is active. However, it is not necessary that avoice conversation is actually occurring. Generally, any communicationchannel capable of communicating analogue frequency signals may be used.

An exemplary embodiment of a packet format for use in communicating datausing DTMF signaling is shown in FIG. 2A. As shown, a packet 10 includesa Name field 15, a Length field 20, a Value field 25 and an optional CRCfield 30. Name field 15 in one embodiment identifies the parameter/datafield the packet is holding. Name field 15 in the embodiment as shownincludes a maximum of 5 alphanumeric characters, although it may beconfigured with a maximum exceeding 5 characters or as few as 1character. If fewer than the maximum number of characters are included,the remainder is padded with spaces in one embodiment. Each alphanumericcharacter preferably comprises one byte (8 bits) in ASCII binary,although 7-bits may be used in some embodiments. Name field 15 isgenerally a generic text field that is associated with any field insidethe individual system. FIG. 2B illustrates examples of possible Namefields.

Length field 20 identifies the number of bytes of data in Value field25, and preferably includes 4 digits [0–9999] (4 ASCII bytes), althoughmore digits may be used. If there is no Value field, the Length is 0.Value field 25 includes the actual data being exchanged for theidentified parameter/field. If N characters comprise the Value of theidentified field then Value field 25 includes N bytes (ASCII). OptionalCRC field 30 is provided to protect against noisy transmission, e.g., asmay be present in cell phone networks. CRC field 30 includes a computedCRC of the Name, Length and Value fields, but excluding the CRC fielditself. Appendix D illustrates examples of other useful packet formatsand fields according to the present invention.

In one embodiment, the packet 10 is converted from the ASCII domain to aBCD digit sequence 35. En this embodiment, the Name, Length, Value andCRC protocol fields are each converted from the ASCII domain (e.g., 7 or8 bit binary for each character) to an associated 3-digit BCD decimalcode. For example, with reference to Appendix A, the letter “A” isconverted from “01000001” in binary to “065” in BCD. Such transformationis preferably executed by processor 65 using a lookup table, e.g.,stored in memory module 70, although a specialized conversion module maybe used. For example, look-up and conversion may be implemented using anFPGA or algorithmically. The transformed packet is then converted to adual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal 40 by DTMF CODEC 55 andtransmitted over the communication channel. As is well known, DTMF is asignaling scheme used in conventional phone signaling systems fortransmitting the characters 0–9 and the * and # characters found onstandard telephone keypads. Appendix C shows a standard DTMF frequencymap.

The receiving apparatus receives the DTMF signal representing packet 10.The receiving apparatus' DTMF CODEC 55 converts the DTMF signal to3-digit BCD. In one embodiment, the receiving apparatus converts thepacket back to the ASCII domain and stores the ASCII data to memory.Alternatively, the receiving apparatus stores the BCD formatted data tomemory. The raw DTMF signal may also be stored if desired. In anotherembodiment, a Unicode hexadecimal code format is used in place of theASCII format. Appendix B shows an example of a Unicode conversion table.Using this table, for example, the character/letter “A” would beconverted to “0041” in Unicode and the character/letter “m” would beconverted to “006D”.

As an example, if it is desired to send information related to anindividual named “John Doe”, excluding the CRC field, the protocolpacket for the first name “John” would be arranged in ASCII binary(8-bit) format as follows according to the present exemplary embodiment:

Field:

Name: (“First”) 01000110/01101001/01110010/01110011/01110100

Length: (“0004”) 00110000/00110000/00110000/00110100

Value: (“John”) 01001010/01101111/01101000/01101110.

When converted to 3-digit BCD format, the packet would be arranged asfollows:

Field:

Name: (“First”) 070/105/114/115/116

Length: (“0004”) 048/048/048/052

Value: (“John”) 074/111/104/110.

The DTMF signal for the first name packet, excluding CRC field, wouldthus be “070105114115116048048048052074111104110”. The backslashes (“/”)in the above example are used solely to assist the reader to delineateeach character relative to the others and are not part of the presentprotocol.

As an exemplary use for the protocol, consider the situation where oneparty to a phone conversation may desire to send a fax number, and/ordirection or address information to the recipient during a conversation.Rather than orally communicating such information, which may beburdensome if, e.g., the recipient is driving a car and must write theinformation down, the sender keys in the information (name plus otherinformation) on the telephone keypad or retrieves the information from amemory in the telephone, and presses a “send” key. The information ispacketized according to the above protocol, transformed into BCD 3-digitformatted data and sent as a DTMF signal using the above protocol overthe communication channel while the conversation session is active. Therecipient's phone receives the DTMF signal and transforms it back to theBCD 3-digit format, and possibly an ASCII format. The information can bedisplayed and/or stored in the recipient's phone for later use.

FIGS. 3–6 illustrate various system configurations for which thecommunication protocols and methods of the present invention are usefulto communicate information from one user to another user. It should beappreciated, however, that numerous other system configurations anddevices may be implemented using the teachings of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3A, two users are communicating information over thevoice band using two cell phones. The user (Bob) providing the requestedinformation accesses the requested information from a personalinformation source such as a PDA and verbally provides the informationto the requesting individual (Joe), who must then write down theinformation or commit the information to memory. As shown in FIG. 3B,according to the present invention, Bob is able to send the informationto Joe using the DTMF conversion protocols of the present invention. Bobeither keys in the desired information or locates and retrieves thedesired information in a memory of the cell phone

and presses a “send” key. The cell phone processes, packetizes andconverts the information and sends out a DTMF signal that is received bya cell phone base tower. The DTMF signal is transmitted via a PSTNnetwork to the cell phone base tower associated with Joe's cell phoneand on to Joe's cell phone where the DTMF signal is processed to storeand/or display the information.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate system configurations similar to theconfigurations of FIGS. 3A and 3B, respectively. In FIG. 4B, however,the receiving party's communication device comprises an intelligenttelephone, e.g. including processing and configuration hardware andsoftware according to the present invention. The intelligent telephone,processes DTMF signals as above. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate systemconfigurations similar to the configurations of FIGS. 4A and 4B,respectively. In FIG. 5B, however, the sending party's communicationdevice also comprises an intelligent telephone, e.g. includingprocessing and configuration hardware and software according to thepresent invention. The intelligent telephone configures and processesinformation to be sent and transmits the DTMF information signals asabove.

FIG. 6 illustrates a system configuration similar to the configurationof FIG. 5B. As shown, information is sent to one or more personalinformation management (PIM) devices for retrieval by a user. Forexample, a DTMF information packet sent from one user to another usermay be sent directly to the recipient's associated PIM over theInternet, or the packet may be sent to the recipient's telephone (orother receiving device, e.g., answering machine) which is configured toforward the packet to the recipient's PIM. The recipient may access thePIM over the Internet at any time from any location using anycommunication device capable of communicating over the Internet.

The protocols of the present invention are also useful for automaticallyconfiguring communication apparatus with information. One embodiment ofa system 100 including a self-configuring communication apparatus 105and a configuration server 160 is shown in FIG. 7. The self configuringcommunication apparatus 105 shown includes both a modem 115 forcommunicating over a network, e.g., with an Internet service provider(ISP) 150, and a standard telephone hook up module 120. Apparatus 105also includes a processor 165 and a memory unit 110 for storing variousdata and configuration information. Modem module 115 may include astandard modem for communicating over a telephone network 140 withvarious end systems or it may include a DSL interface, NIC, etc., forcommunicating with various networks, e.g., the Internet 130, overvarious communication media. Telephone interface module 120 preferablyincludes a PSTN interface for communicating over telephone network 140.Apparatus 105 also preferably includes a user input device 125 directlycoupled to or integrated as part of apparatus 105. User input device 125typically includes a keypad in the case of a telephone or PDA, or akeyboard in the case of a PC or laptop. However, it should beappreciated that any user input device, such as a touchscreen,electronic pen, microphone (voice to text), etc., that allows a user toenter information may be used.

Conversion of data to the ASCII format is typically performed by theinput device interface associated with the device. When a user depressesa key, the input device interface registers the selected key and sends abinary signal representing the selected character to the processor 165.Typically a 7-bit or 8-bit binary ASCII character is sent, although theinput device interface may be configured to automatically convert theselected character to a hexadecimal format, an octal format, a BCDformat or any other format as desired. A specialized ASCII conversionmodule may be implemented to convert signals from the user input device125 to the ASCII format. It should be appreciated that some or all inputvalues may de directly converted to BCD decimal, however, most inputdevices use ASCII binary as the standard interface data format. Forexample, standard keyboards and keypads automatically convert userselection of keys into binary ASCII signals readable by a processor.

One embodiment of a self configuring apparatus 105 includes a MODEMinterface module 115 that requires an ISP phone number and otherparameters to be configured. To enable this a standard PSTN telephonehook up is used to communicate with a configuration information serverto obtain configuration information. It should be appreciated that anynumber of devices that require some form of configuration parametersetup, e.g. DSL Modems, Cable Modems, WEB appliances, etc. can all beconfigured/setup using a telephone hook up and the DTMF informationexchange methodology as described herein.

When a user sets up apparatus 105, e.g., plugs in the PSTN connectionmodule 120 to a phone jack and turns the apparatus on, the apparatuscalls up a dedicated server, e.g., server 160, over telephone network140 using any publicly available phone number, such as an “800” number.The apparatus is preferably configured to automatically call the serverwhen configuration information is needed, although a user may manuallyconfigure the apparatus to call the server when desired. The server towhich the “800” number is directed receives the phone number of thecalling party, i.e., apparatus 100, via a standard ANI (automatic numberidentification) provided to “800” number owners, and uses this phonenumber to determine the geographic location of the apparatus. Thegeographic location is used to determine a nearest point-of-presence(POP) for communicating with an ISP 150. In one embodiment, server 160performs a look-up of known POPs for a particular ISP based on the areacode prefix of the identified phone number. ISP 150 may be identified bythe apparatus or assigned by server 160. The server then automaticallytransmits the ISP POP number(s) using the DTMF signaling methods andprotocols as described above. The apparatus can store the received POPnumber(s) for later use when communicating with ISP 150 is desired. Itshould be appreciated that POP numbers for other end systems may bedetermined and communicated to apparatus 105.

FIG. 8 illustrates a configuration process flow according to anembodiment of the present invention. At step 210, a client device(“SPC”), e.g., apparatus 105, contacts a configuration informationserver (“ACD”), e.g., server 160, over a standard telephonecommunication channel using an “800” number associated with the server.At step 215, the server responds to the client device with a Hello ACDpacket using the DTW packet/conversion protocol of the presentinvention. An example of a Hello ACD packet is shown in Appendix D. Ifthe ANI feature is available, the server automatically receives thephone number of the client and the name of the calling party, andpossibly other information. In response to the Hello ACD packet, theclient sends an EEPROM information packet including identification andISP information to the server using the DTMF packet/conversion protocolof the present invention. A client EEPROM stores client ID informationsuch as the serial number, MAC ID, product ID, hardware version, etc. Anexample of an EEPROM information packet is shown in Appendix D. Suchinformation packets include sub-fields and values associated withinformation such as the MACID, Login ID, Password, and configurationinformation available to the client.

At step 220, the server determines whether the client device has arecord in the database based on, e.g., the MAC ID. If a device recordexists, at step 225 the server determines whether there is a match forthe device in a customer table in the database, e.g., using the Mac IDand/or login ID and user password. If there is a match, the customerdatabase record is updated at step 230 with any new information includedin the received information packets. It is clear that reconfiguration isnecessary at this point because the client device was likely reset(either accidentally, purposely, e.g., due to a move, etc.). At step235, the system retrieves the local access number(s) for the identifiedISP, and the server sends the information to the client device in theform of one or more configuration information ACD packets that eachincludes one or more subfields in the Value field. Alternately, suchsub-fields may be sent as individual packets. Examples of configurationinformation ACD packet formats and possible sub-fields are shown inAppendix D.

Returning to step 220, if it is determined that there is no devicerecord in the database for the particular client device, a new devicerecord is created at step 240. At step 245, the system determineswhether there is a match for the phone number in the customer table. Ifthere is a match, a validity check is performed using the customer loginID and password at step 250. If the password and login ID are valid, anew device record is created and the customer record is updated at step255 and the system proceeds to retrieve and send the appropriateconfiguration information at step 235. If the password and login ID arenot valid, a new customer record is created at step 260. At this pointit is possible that a customer is likely using a new client device at apreviously used phone number interface. If at step 245 it is determinedthat there is no match in the customer table for the phone number, it isdetermined whether the customer needs an ISP at step 265. Similarly, ifat step 225 it is determined that there is no match in the customertable for the particular device, it is determined whether the customerneeds an ISP at step 265. If the customer needs an ISP (e.g., no ISPconfiguration information was received in the Information packets sentby the client device), an ISP, login ID and password are assigned atstep 270 and a new customer record is created at step 260. If it isdetermined that the customer has an ISP, a new record is created at step260. After step 260, the system retrieves and sends the appropriateconfiguration information as above.

FIG. 9 illustrates various functional layers of the software andhardware components of a client device and a configuration serveraccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Client 305 includesa front-end telephony interface layer 310, DTMF CODEC layer 320, ACDHandler layer 330 and Client Application layer 340. Similarlyconfiguration server 360 includes a front-end telephony interface layer350, DTMF CODEC layer 370, ACD Handler layer 380 and Server Applicationlayer 390. Telephony interface layers 310 and 350 each include theappropriate hardware, e.g., PSTN interface modules, for communicatingand receiving DTMF signals. DTMF CODEC layers 320 and 370 each includesoftware and hardware components for encoding and decoding packetsf6rinatted according to the present invention, e.g., ACD informationpackets.

For example, each CODEC layer includes the hardware and software forencoding transmit packets into DTMF symbols and to decode DTMF symbolsinto receive packets. ACD Handler layers 330 and 380 each support theprotocols of the present invention by performing validation of receivedpackets, generating/building ACD packets for transmission and processingreceived and transmit packets. Application layers 340 and 390 interfacewith ACD handler layers 330 and 380, respectively, to process andconfigure data according to the present invention. Client applicationlayer 340 interfaces with a kernel to retrieve hardware and other clientspecific information, e.g., for inclusion in an EEPROM packet and an ISPinformation packet. Server application layer 390 interfaces with thedatabase to store and retrieve configuration information of client 305.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

1. An apparatus for communicating alphanumeric data including aplurality of alphanumeric characters, the apparatus comprising: meansfor converting the alphanumeric data to data having a first data format,wherein each converted character comprises a first plurality ofcharacters in the first data format; means for converting the datahaving the first data format to data having a second data format,wherein each converted character comprises a plurality of numbers in thesecond data format; and means for communicating the data in the seconddata format from a first communication device to a second communicationdevice over a communication channel using DTMF signaling, wherein themeans for communicating is configured to communicate the data over thevoice band during an active voice conversation.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first data format is an ASCII format, wherein eachcharacter is represented by one of a 7-bit and an 8-bit binary number.3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data format is a Unicodeformat, wherein each character is represented by at least fourcharacters.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second data formatis a BCD decimal format, wherein each character is represented by threenumbers.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second data format isan octal format, wherein each character is represented by three numbers.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data format is ahexadecimal format, wherein each character is represented by threecharacters.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first andsecond communication devices includes one of a conventional telephone, acell phone and an intelligent answering machine.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein one of the first and second communication devicesincludes a communications server.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, whereineach of the first and second communication devices includes a PSTNconnection.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: means forreconverting at the second communication device the DTMF signaling datareceived from the first communication device back to one of the firstdata format and the second data for-mat; and means for storing thereconverted data to a memory coupled to the second communication device.11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for converting to thefirst data format includes means for automatically performing theconversion using a keypad interface associated with the firstcommunication device in response to user selection of keys on thekeypad.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first plurality of saidkeys represent alphanumeric characters, and wherein a second pluralityof said keys represent control information characters.
 13. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the means for communicating includes: means forconverting each of said plurality of numbers in the second data formatto a frequency signal based on a DTMF frequency map; and means fortransmitting the frequency signals over the telephone communicationchannel.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication channelis a telephone communication channel.